Inhalation exposure during spray application and subsequent sanding of a wood sealant containing zinc oxide nanoparticles.

Nano-enabled construction products have entered into commerce. There are concerns about the safety of manufactured nanomaterials, and exposure assessments are needed for a more complete understanding of risk. This study assessed potential inhalation exposure to ZnO nanoparticles during spray application and power sanding of a commercially available wood sealant and evaluated the effectiveness of local exhaust ventilation in reducing exposure.

[Ischemic stroke: the cardiac workup].

The cardiac workup of stroke often includes a 24 hours Holter and an echocardiography looking for cardiac sources of emboli (atrial fibrillation (AF), intracardiac thrombus, mitral stenosis, recent myocardial infarction, endocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy...

Doping of polycrystalline CdTe for high-efficiency solar cells on flexible metal foil.

Roll-to-roll manufacturing of CdTe solar cells on flexible metal foil substrates is one of the most attractive options for low-cost photovoltaic module production. However, various efforts to grow CdTe solar cells on metal foil have resulted in low efficiencies. This is caused by the fact that the conventional device structure must be inverted, which imposes severe restrictions on device processing and consequently limits the electronic quality of the CdTe layer.

[Intermediate geriatric care in Geneva: experience of ten years].

Population aging has generated an increased demand for acute healthcare services in persons aged over 65, who may represent up to half of all patients treated in intensive care units (ICU). However, the number of available ICU beds is limited. Intermediate care units (IntCU) require less human and technical resources, and may represent an interesting alternative to intensive care in the geriatric population.

Highly efficient Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells grown on flexible polymer films.

Solar cells based on polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se(2) absorber layers have yielded the highest conversion efficiency among all thin-film technologies, and the use of flexible polymer films as substrates offers several advantages in lowering manufacturing costs. However, given that conversion efficiency is crucial for cost-competitiveness, it is necessary to develop devices on flexible substrates that perform as well as those obtained on rigid substrates. Such comparable performance has not previously been achieved, primarily because polymer films require much lower substrate temperatures during absorber deposition, generally resulting in much lower efficiencies.

[Anemia in the elderly: a frequent condition that should not be overlooked].

Anemia is a frequent disease in elderly persons, but is often undertreated and misunderstood as a physiologic consequence of aging. Nevertheless, its association with some negative clinical impacts is well known and widely documented in the literature.

[Interpretation of exercise stress testing by primary care physicians].

Considering that angina is an important symptom of coronary heart disease, exercise stress testing has proven its usefulness and remains a reference exam. Indeed, it is reasonably reliable and accessible, even for non cardiologist physicians, and provides both diagnostic as well as prognostic information. In this article, we review the key points to know about stress testing, in particular patient selection and interpretation of it results.

[Acute coronary syndrome: guidelines and geriatrics specificity].

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) includes unstable angina pectoris, myocardial infarction without ST elevation and myocardial infarction with ST elevation. ACS is more frequent in the elderly than in the general population and is associated with very high morbidity and mortality. As older individuals are often excluded from clinical trials, the geriatrician needs to take care of these subjects without specific guidelines.

Unusual evolution of a non-hacek Gram-negative endocarditis in a patient with Turner syndrome.

Non-HACEK Gram-negative endocarditis is a rare but severe illness, and the diagnosis can be difficult to establish. Here, we report the case of a 72-year-old woman with Turner syndrome suffering from non-typhoid Salmonella endocarditis of the triscupid valve, who benefited from prompt antibiotic treatment allowing a quick and complete recovery.

[Prescribing psychotropic drugs to patients aged 80 and over].

The management of psychotropic drugs is a daily preoccupation for geriatric psychiatrists and geriatricians alike. The lack of controlled clinical trials in very old patients (over 80 years old) often leads to empirical therapy. The multiple somatic co-morbidities of old patients, the high prevalence of potential drug-drug interactions and a wish to implement an increasingly patient centered approach all influence psychotropic drug prescription which tends to be simplified and individualized.

[Paced right bundle branch block: what to do?].

Left bundle branch block (LBBB) is the assumed presentation of right ventricular pacing. Paced right bundle branch block (RBBB) raises the suspicion of lead malposition. In a well placed right ventricular lead an atypical conduction pattern must be evoked.

[Postprandial hypotension: an unclear clinical entity].

Postprandial hypotension (PPH) is a clinical entity considered to affect above all elderly people with hypertension. It is equally common in diastolic heart failure, Parkinson's disease, diabetes mellitus and autonomic dysfunction. Diagnosis is based on a minimum of 20 mmHg drop of the systolic blood pressure oron a symptomatic systolic blood pressure decrease within 2 hours of the meal.

[Atrial arrhythmias: mechanism, ECG feature and curative treatment].

Atrial arrhythmias are frequent and are an important cause of heart failure aggravation or cerebrovascular accidents. They show a clear trend towards increasing incidence with age. Restoring and maintaining sinus rhythm with antiarrhythmic drugs delivers only temporary success and is prone to long term failure and/ or side effects.

[Drug-induced refractory arterial hypertension].

Polymedication is frequent in geriatric everyday practice and often leads to unwanted drug-drug interactions. Physicians must be aware of the potential interaction-induced with intoxications or therapeutic ineffectiveness. The clinical case presented here illustrates the importance of entertaining the possibility of such an interaction every time that the expected therapeutical effect of a substance is not reached.

[Impacts of a cardiological consultation on the medical treatment of elderly patients].

The prevalence of prescription medication use among older people increases with advancing age and is related to their comorbidities. Cardiovascular medication is the medication category that is the most commonly prescribed. We retrospectively determined the repercussion of the cardiological consultation of the Hôpital de gériatrie de Genève on the cardiovascular medication.

[Cardiac rehabilitation: beyond 80 year-old?].

The prevalence of heart failure increases with age. Although the benefit of cardiac rehabilitation has been well demonstrated, in particular for what concerns improved effort tolerance, data in the geriatric population is scarce. A supervised inpatient cardiac rehabilitation program has started in September 2004 at the Hôpital de gériatrie in Geneva.